


Changing Channels

by bisexual_catastrophe



Series: The Soulmates Series [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 13,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27208207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexual_catastrophe/pseuds/bisexual_catastrophe
Summary: BOOK THREE OF THE SOULMATES SERIESSam, Dean, and (Y/n) get stuck in TV Hell when the trickster imprisons them in an alternate universe, putting (Y/n) at risk of their secret slipping out.(I do not own Supernatural or (Y/n), the only thing I own is the romantic subplot.)Warning: This is an entire episode of Supernatural: Season 5 Episode 8, so buckle up for the matching scenes and incredibly long chapters.Book One: Tall TalesBook Two: Mystery SpotBook Three: Changing ChannelsBook Four: Hammer of the GodsBook Five: Bring 'Em Back Alive & Unfinished BusinessBook Six: Beat The Devil & Exodus
Relationships: Dean Winchester & You, Gabriel (Supernatural)/You, Sam Winchester & You
Series: The Soulmates Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1986256
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

When Dean Winchester took the highway to Hell, it was hard on everyone.

Sam beat himself up everyday for not being able to save his brother- many told him that he couldn't save him, even (Y/n), but that didn't stop him. He slowly started obsessing over hunting and stopping Lilith, again, this time with the help of the demon, Ruby.

The youngest Winchester didn't like the demon, it was very wrong in her books that her brother was working with one. And the demon blood, she snapped at Sam the first time she caught him with it in his mouth. " _This isn't what Dean would've wanted, Sam! We're supposed to be in this_ ** _together_** _!_ " (Y/n) left shortly after that, not wanting to see Sam continuously drink just to get stronger.

Hunting on her own hadn't been too difficult. Most of the time, (Y/n) was in the same place as other hunters, so she would ask to join them. They would always poke and prod over why she was on her own, but the answer was always the same: " _I don't need to share my life with you. Let's just get this over with._ "

There would, of course, be times where (Y/n) truly was on her own. She would get the information she needed, then go straight in, just like she would if Dean or Sam was with her. Only once or twice ended badly for her, chained up with very confused monsters, as wounds would quickly heal with time- luckily, Gabriel flew in each time when she was truly in trouble.

The archangel didn't like his soulmate hunting on her own one bit. He begged once or twice for her to stay with other hunters- stay with Bobby, but she refused each time. " _Dean would've wanted us to move on together, me and Sam against the world... but I'm not getting my brother back, am I?_ " He would be at her side during those times, as she would break down and cry. She wanted Sam back with her, no demon blood or Ruby. She wanted her life to go back to a hunter's version of 'normal'. She wanted _Dean_ back.

Dean rising from Hell due to the help of Castiel, another angel, was more than surprising. The eldest brother had visited his sister first, after asking Bobby for information on his siblings, who had given him the salt test, with an extra side of holy water. (Y/n) did the same, not believing that after a year of being alone, Dean would come back.

"I thought Sammy would be with you, where is he?" That was his first question- after being given the world news.

(Y/n) shrugged, downing the rest of the shirley temple in her hand. "Hell if I know, I haven't seen or talked to him in seven months."

The older brother protective mode kicked in. "You've been hunting on your own?" His voice rose to a shout, earning a few stares from the people sitting around the bar.

"Yes and no," (Y/n) answered quickly, flinching at his tone. "Other hunters are usually in the area that I get information, I ask to join, and they always tell me 'yes'. Other than that... I've only dealt with small jobs on my own; vengeful ghosts, a couple of wendigos, the occasional werewolf..."

"Any demons?" (Y/n) shook her head, she didn't want to tell him about some demons that found out about her soulmate being an archangel. "Why aren't you and Sam hunting together? I specifically told you two to watch one another."

(Y/n) sucked in her breath, she had hoped the conversation wouldn't turn to this. "Do you remember Ruby? The demon?" He nodded. "Well... I'm sure you can figure the rest out, I don't want to talk about it."

After that night at the bar, Dean and (Y/n) began their search for Sam. The younger Winchester hadn't been too happy about it, but maybe Dean could knock some sense into him... _hopefully_ he could knock some sense into him.

Before meeting up with Sam, (Y/n) had the pleasure to meet the angel who had gripped Dean tight and raised him from perdition: Castiel.

The angel was very cautious and acted strange around the youngest Winchester. It bothered Dean greatly, and after three months, he walked out of the motel to a bar, demanding that the two figure whatever was going on out.

Castiel waited a second, making sure Dean truly went to the nearest bar, then went straight to the point. "You're mated with an angel, an archangel." His monotonous voice made (Y/n) feel mighty uncomfortable, as she did not know how he felt about it. "Do your brothers know?"

Panic immediately settled itself on (Y/n)'s face, answering the angel's question. "No, and they _can't_ know. I'm not ready to tell them, they'd _kill_ him." The youngest didn't feel the need to tell Castiel yet, she just met him for Christ's sake. "Please, don't tell Dean or Sam..."

Castiel nodded, his eyes trailing to (Y/n)'s. "Fine. But you know that the longer you keep this from them, the angrier they'll be for you not mentioning it."


	2. Chapter 2

_"'_ _Supernatural' is filmed before a live studio audience."_

Dean opened the door to the motel's fridge, putting the mustard and four-cheese cream back inside.

Cheers and applause erupted around him as he turned around with a large smile, looking down at an incredibly tall sandwich. "I'm gonna need a bigger mouth," Dean observed, nodding at the food below him, earning canned laughter in response.

The motel room's clean white door swung open, revealing (Y/n) and Sam, cheers, and applause erupted once more at the sight of the younger Winchesters.

"Hey there Sam, and (Y/n)." Dean greeted with a grin. "What's happening?"

Sam shook his head with a sigh, placing his hands on his hips with a smile. "Oh, nothing. Um, just the end of the world!" Dean tilted his head with a smile as canned laughter echoed through the room again.

(Y/n) approached the white, round table, frowning at the sandwich resting on top of a plate. "Damn, Dean. You're gonna need a bigger mouth."

Dean raised his hands in the air, earning another response of canned laughter, motioning that he had said that before.

"Hey, uh... have you done your research yet?" Sam asked Dean as he approached his siblings.

The eldest Winchester licked his lips and averted his gaze from Sam, twiddling with his fingers at the thought. "Oh, yeah!" He suddenly replied, turning back around. "All kinds of research. All night!"

"Yeah? Huh," Sam nodded, a little impressed that his brother actually did anything while he and (Y/n) were out.

Suddenly, the bathroom door in the back of the motel opened. A series of wolf-whistles and 'oos' echoed through the room as a raven-haired woman in matching panties and a bra stepped out. Dean gulped, averting his gaze once more from his siblings. "Oh, Dean," the woman called, leaning on the door's arch. Sam and (Y/n) immediately frowned at the sight of her. "We have some more 'research' to do."

The audience ' _oo'ed_ ' again as Dean nervously smiled at the woman, his cover had been blown.

The twins crossed their arms in sync. "Dean..." they warned in unison.

Canned laughter filled the room as Dean turned to face the camera. "Son of a bitch!"

-

_Wellington, Ohio_

_Two Days Earlier..._

The entrance to a hospital came into view, staff members and doctors passed by one another as the intercom asked for doctors to make their way to a certain room.

A raven-haired nurse walked into the elevator, a doctor followed her in with his hands behind his back. Once the elevator door closed, a silence fell between the two for a quick second. The doctor had a smile on his face while the nurse attempted to keep a straight one.

It failed when he turned towards her, she gave in quickly and grabbed the back of his neck, kissing him fiercely, to which he returned. To gain both their balances, the doctor pushed her into the wall, holding a hand for support as the kiss deepened.

Dean sat on his bed, watching the television that showed the doctor and nurse. There was clear interest on his face as he watched, never blinking at the moans or motions that played on the screen.

"Um... Dean? What're you watching?" Sam left the bathroom, fixing the cuffs on his button-up shirt with a frown.

The eldest Winchester's eyebrows lowered, making sure his expression turned to disinterest. "A hospital show," he answered, not taking his eyes off the screen. "' _Dr. Sexy, M.D_.' I think it's based on a book."

Sam chuckled/scoffed. "When did you hit menopause?"

To which Dean averted his eyes. "It's called channel-surfing," he shot back defensively. He stood up from his bed with a grunt, walking over to the television, switching it off. "You ready?"

"Are you?" Sam asked, shrugging on his suit jacket. Dean nodded, making his way to the motel's door. "And... have you seen (Y/n)?"

-

(Y/n) was currently at a candy shop. She was surprised it was open at this time but was grateful either way. Her cravings for sweets had grown stronger, throwing her off each time she was hungry for something small.

There was something more surprising about the whole thing. She hadn't seen her soulmate in months, and it was beginning to affect her negatively. Irritable, tiredness, and sometimes straight-up depression became regular feelings.

Call after call, text after text, voicemail after voicemail... the angel never answered any of them. It was beginning to hurt, again. It was also stupid, Gabriel promised to be around her more, yet here he was... not fulfilling it.

So, when her brothers were out, she decided to pray to Castiel about it. Maybe he had an explanation for this.

"You called, (Y/n)?" The raven-haired angel arrived almost immediately. He had noticed her nervousness as soon as he popped in, the stick of licorice she was chewing on was slowly disappearing, meaning she was having trouble with something.

(Y/n) turned to face the angel. "Castiel... my soulmate explained the bonds, and we currently have a weak bond. It's beginning to get worse- I don't know if it's us not seeing each other or something else... do you know why?"

Castiel pressed his lips into a thin line, going over the bonds that he had learned about in Heaven. "How long have you had the bond?"

"Since... 2006? So... three years." She noticed the look of 'Well that's why' from the angel. "What? Is there a time limit to how long we're supposed to have it?"

"Yes, sort of." Castiel tilted his head from side to side. "Three years is a long stretch, I'm surprised you haven't gone insane yet." (Y/n)'s face paled at his words. "Your bond needs to be upgraded, or you will face dire consequences, most likely driving your soulmate up the walls... and for them to be an archangel, I don't want to even think about the negative outcome."


	3. Chapter 3

"One more time, the F.B.I. is here why, exactly?" The sheriff had a hard time believing that such a large organization would come to his small town.

Dean, Sam, and (Y/n) inwardly sighed, they hated it when people asked questions, they were playing 'dress up' as the F.B.I. "Well, it might have something to do with one of your locals getting his head ripped off," Dean stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

The sheriff frowned. "Bill Randolph died from a bear attack."

(Y/n) leaned forward on the counter. "Are you sure it was a bear?"

"What else would it be?" The sheriff replied with furrowed eyebrows. It made the siblings look at one another with slight annoyance.

"Well, whatever it was, it chased Mr. Randolph through the woods, smashed through his front door, followed him up the stairs, and killed him in his bedroom." Dean countered. "Is that common? A bear doing all that?"

The sheriff closed his eyes. "Depends how pissed off it is, I guess." He then sighed. "Look, the Randolphs lived way up in the high country. You got trout runs that'll make a grown man weep... and bears," he added, growing impatient.

"Right," Sam nodded. "Now, what about Mrs. Randolph? The file says she saw the whole thing." He gestured with his head to the tan file on the counter.

The sheriff's face dropped. "Yes, she did. My heart goes out to that poor woman."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "She said bear?"

Hesitation crossed the sheriff's face before it morphed into one of sympathy and reassurance. "Kathy Randolph went through a hell of a trauma. She's confused."

The eldest nodded, not believing a word that came out of his mouth.

"What did she say?" Sam and (Y/n) asked in unison.

-

They were led to the interview room after that, poor Kathy Randolph looked shaken up as the brothers sat down in front of her, (Y/n) choosing to stand. Understanding was drawn onto the brothers' faces while the youngest crossed her arms with a blank expression. (Her emotions were all over the place)

"No... it must've been a bear," Kathy said once more, looking down at the table. Her hands were placed nervously on her lap, trying not to shake. "I-I mean, what else could it have been?" She didn't sound too sure of herself like she didn't believe what she was saying.

"Mrs. Randolph," Sam leaned forward, making eye contact with the newly made widow. "What did you think it was?"

Kathy sighed, looking back down at the table, shaking her head. "No. I-I remember clearly now. It was definitely a bear." There it was again, disbelief.

Dean nodded. "I'm sure it was, but see," he leaned forward, doing the same thing his brother had done. "It-It helps us to hear, uh, every angle. So, just tell us what you _thought_ you saw."

The widow sighed again. "Well, it's impossible, but... I could have sworn I saw..." the siblings raised their eyebrows as she hesitated with a sheepish smile. "The Incredible Hulk."

"The Incredible Hulk," (Y/n) repeated slowly, arching an eyebrow at the widow.

Kathy's smile left, turning to one of embarrassment. "I told you, it's crazy!"

Words tried to form in Sam's mind, but they only came out as stutters... he couldn't believe it. "Bana or Norton?" Dean intervened, nodding with a small smile.

"Oh, no, those movies were terrible. The TV Hulk." Kathy shook her head at the thought of the movies.

(Y/n)'s face scrunched up. "Lou Ferrigno?" The fact that she was naming an actor- for a fictional character... bizarre.

"Yes." Kathy nodded.

"Spiky-hair Lou Ferrigno?" Dean repeated, not able to keep a smile back. The widow nodded again, breathing a _'yes'_ as Dean nodded. "Huh." The siblings gave one another the ' _this is crazy_ ' look.

"Oh, you think I'm crazy," Kathy shook her head with a sigh, having to go through this 'crazy talk' again as she had done with the sheriff.

Dean laughed lightly. "Uh, no. No, i-it's just... i-is there, uh... would there be any reason that Lou Ferrigno, the Incredible Hulk, um, would have a grudge against your husband?" He hated to ask this, as it sounded equally crazy.

Kathy's eyebrows furrowed as she thought about it. "No," she gave him a funny look, confused as to why he would ask something like that.


	4. Chapter 4

After the interview, Sam went to go check out the crime scene while (Y/n) and Dean looked up what had happened. And just as the sheriff said, the article confirmed it to only be a 'bear attack'.

When the door opened, both siblings looked up to Sam, who had an annoyed and tired expression on his face. "Hey," Sam sounded a bit out of breath, wanting to get to his siblings as soon as possible.

"Find anything?" Dean asked, removing his body from behind where (Y/n) sat.

Sam shut the door and turned around. "Well, uh, I saw the house." He paused and lifted his hands, moving them far apart to show space. "And there is a giant eight-foot-wide hole where the front door used to be." His hands moved into his pockets after the description. "Almost like..."

"A Hulk-sized hole," Dean finished.

Sam moved his head side-to-side, mumbling a 'maybe'. "What do you guys got?"

"Bill Randolph had quite the temper," (Y/n) answered, clicking into incident reports that she had hacked into. "He's got two counts of spousal battery, bar brawls, and court-ordered anger-management sessions."

"You might say you wouldn't like him when he's angry," Dean added.

Sam chuckled with a scoff. "So, a hothead getting killed by TV's greatest hothead. Kind of sounds like just deserts, doesn't it?" Neither brother noticed their sister flinch at the phrase, as they were too busy chuckling at the thought. "It's all starting to make sense."

"How is it starting to make sense?" Dean asked blankly. (Y/n) got up from her chair and turned away from her brothers, rubbing her temples as to what they were dealing with.

Sam pulled something out of his pocket. "Well, I found something else at the crime scene." He raised his hand, allowing a series of Twix candy wrappers to fall. "Candy wrappers. Lot's of 'em."

Dean took one of the wrappers in his hand, realization crossing onto his face. "Just desserts, sweet tooth, screwing with people before you kill them. We're dealing with the trickster, aren't we?" He picked up the wrappers when Sam confirmed it. "Good. Been wanting to gank that mother since Mystery Spot."

A strained noise left (Y/n)'s body, making her brothers turn and give her a worried look. Her face was pale, as well as having a hint of anger, but they were more focused on the fact that she looked pissed. "Are you alright, (Y/n)?" His twin waved a hand in the air, dismissing it. Then she beelined to the bathroom, ignoring her brothers' curious and worried looks. "Right then."

Turning his attention back to Dean, Sam sighed. "You sure, Dean?" The eldest made a face: ' _Duh_ '. "No, I mean, are you sure you want to kill him?"

Dean put on a shocked face, raising his eyebrows. "Son of a bitch didn't think twice about icing me- a thousand times."

"No, I know," Sam put out a hand on his hip. "I-I mean, I'm just saying-"

"What are you saying?" Dean interrupted, slowly getting pissed off. "If you don't want to kill him, then what?"

Sam licked his lips, closing his eyes. "Talk to him."

"What?"

"Look, think about it, Dean: He's one of the most powerful creatures we've ever met, maybe we can use him," Sam replied quickly.

"For what?"

Sam sighed, ready to make his case. "Okay, tricksters like a- like a Hugh Hefner type, right? Wine, women, song..." Dean crossed his arms, disbelief still written on his face. "Maybe he doesn't want the party to end! I mean, maybe he hates this 'angels and demons' stuff as much as we do! Maybe he'll help us!"

Dean narrowed his eyes. "You're serious."

"Yeah!"

"Ally with the trickster?"

Sam closed his eyes, nodding. "Yeah. And I think (Y/n) would agree with me. Do you see how she acts around him or if he's mentioned? She gets angry or sad. I think they're still connected."

Dean pushed away that part for a second. "A bloody, violent monster... and you want to be Facebook friends with him? Nice, Sammy." He licked his lips and nodded. "After all these years, you still think they have some kind of connection? I told you to drop that."

"The world is gonna end, Dean. We don't have the luxury of a moral stand. Maybe we could even get (Y/n) to lure him into helping us. I've seen how he acts around her, like he's sorry about what he does to us." Sam added. "I'm just saying, it's worth a shot. That's all. I-If it doesn't work, we'll kill him."

The eldest Winchester sighed, giving in. "Fine. How're we gonna find the guy anyway? And if (Y/n)'s not at all okay with this?"

"Then she's not in as bait, and we'll just have to do the convincing ourselves," Sam answered, hoping that his sister would agree to the plan. "And he never takes just one victim, right? He'll show."

-

(Y/n) heard her brothers' entire conversation. It was more than okay for her- because if Gabriel really was behind this- and her gut told her that he was, then she could see him and all her weird feelings would go away. All the anger and sadness would go away.

She'd finally have his attention, and possibly move up to the next stage of their bond.


	5. Chapter 5

To say the older Winchesters were surprised at (Y/n) agreeing to their plan was a complete understatement. She looked happy to do so, and the anger was clear from her face, only burning in her eyes.

Sam and (Y/n) sat quietly at the table, staring at the walkie-talkie in the middle. Dean, on the other hand, was sitting on his bed, using a pocket knife to sharpen a stake.

" _Uh... dispatch? I got a possible 187 out here at the old paper mill on Route 6_ ," (Y/n) and Sam frowned at the man's hesitant voice. They grabbed Dean's attention by turning it up so they could all hear the conversation.

" _Roger that. What are you looking at, son_?"

The man who had called it in began to stutter. " _Honestly, Walt, I wouldn't even know how to describe what I'm seeing. Just, um... send everybody_."

"That sounds weird," Dean commented as the conversation ended.

Sam switched the radio off. "Weird enough to be our guy?" He glanced at his siblings, who only shrugged and got up from where they sat, ready to get into the impala and leave.

-

The old paper mill on Route 6 was deserted when the Winchesters arrived. Car tires and pieces of the building were the only things that accompanied them, nothing else.

"There was a murder here... and there's no police cars- there's nobody," Dean observed, throwing his hands in the air. "How does that look to you guys?"

(Y/n) sighed and waited for the back of the Impala's trunk to open. "Crappy," she deadpanned, taking a good look around herself. Of course, it was her soulmate they were talking about-- the trickster. This was a trick.

Dean pulled out two stakes, handing one to Sam while keeping the other, (Y/n) had told him she didn't want to do anything but distract him, then passed them both a flashlight.

Stakes ready at hand, the Winchesters entered the building but were stopped in shock when Anya Marina's _Not A Through Street_ began to play. Dean immediately looked down when he noticed the stake missing, furrowing his eyebrows when he noticed he was dressed as a doctor.

"What the hell?" He looked around as Sam and (Y/n) did the same thing, though the youngest Winchester was dressed as a nurse. Their faces scrunched up in confusion as they looked at one another.

Two women dressed as nurses passed, eyeing the three up and down. "Doctor," each said as they passed. The raven-haired woman winked at (Y/n), mumbling _'nurse'_ with a sweet smile before hurrying after the blonde nurse.

"'Doctor'?" Sam repeated after they passed, still completely confused. Dean turned around and opened the door to where they had come in, but only saw a nurse and a man having a heated make-out session. He closed it very quickly, not wanting to see it again.

The siblings started to walk forward, only for a brunette nurse to step in front of Sam, say 'Doctor' with heavy breaths, then smack him across the face. "Ow!" (Y/n) held a hand to her mouth to refrain from snickering.

"Seriously?"

"What?" Sam asked, super confused.

The raven-haired woman narrowed her eyes. "Seriously, you're brilliant, you know that?" Dean and (Y/n) leaned forward, slightly intrigued. "And a coward. You're a brilliant coward." Was she insulting him or complimenting him?

"Um... what are you talking about?" His question only got him slapped again, this time harder. He clenched his jaw and glared at the nurse.

"As if you don't know." She breathed heavily, then stormed off.

Dean's upper lip twitched as he watched her go. "I don't believe this."

"What?" Sam and (Y/n) asked in unison, the older brother more pissed off at the vague comment- or more of the fact that he got slapped by a complete stranger.

Dean's smile turned into a grin. "That was Dr. Piccolo." The younger siblings gestured for him to continue. "Dr. Ellen Piccolo," his grin grew as he stepped forward to see the rest of the room. "The sexy-yet-earnest doctor at..." he turned to his left, reading the name of where they were out loud: "Seattle Mercy Hospital!"

"Uh, Dean..." Sam tapped the front of his brother's coat, snapping him out of wherever his brain was. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"The doctor getups. The- The sexy interns. The ' _seriously's_?'. It all makes sense!"

(Y/n) approached the two. "The hell are you talking about, Dean? Speak _English_."

"We're in 'Dr. Sexy, M.D.'!" Confusion crossed (Y/n)'s face while realization crossed Sam's.

They were characters in the TV show Dean had been watching earlier that morning.


	6. Chapter 6

The Winchester siblings spent a hot minute strolling through the hospital. Each sibling was just as confused as the other- though a small part of the youngest screamed that what they were in should be obvious.

"Dude, what the hell?" Dean whispered to his siblings as they passed the elevator. His voice had a mix of confusion and excitement in it, but mostly confusion.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know." He wasn't the least bit excited like Dean.

"No, seriously. What the hell?" Dean repeated.

"I don't know," Sam repeated back, his voice more impatient.

"One theory, guys, any theory."

(Y/n) looked around, taking in that they were in a _TV show_. "G-The trickster trapped us in TV Land."

Dean scoffed and glanced at his sister. "That's your theory? That's stupid." Sam rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You're the one who said we're on 'Dr. Sexy, M.D.' Dean!" (Y/n) shot back.

"Yeah, but, TV Land isn't _TV Land_." Dean gestured around them, pointing at people and rooms. "I mean, there's actors a-and lights and crew members- you know? This looks real."

Sam stopped both of them with his hands held out. "This can't be real, Dean. How can this possibly be real?"

The eldest shrugged. "I don't know, alright?" He snapped back, his patience wearing thin. A nurse passed them, mumbling 'doctors' to the boys. "Oh, but there goes Dr. Wang, the sexy-but-arrogant heart surgeon." He pointed to a man in a grey robe sitting on top of a gurney. "And there's Johnny Drake. Oh- he's not even alive. He's a ghost in the mind of..." a brunette doctor approached 'Johnny Drake' and sat down next to him. "Of her, the sexy-but-neurotic doctor over there."

"So, _this_ show has ghosts?" Sam scoffed, turning to his brother. "Why?"

Dean shrugged, still staring at Johnny Drake and the doctor. "I don't know- but it is compelling."

"You watch soap-operas now, Dean?" (Y/n) snickered, kicking at the hospital floor to not face her brother, who was now narrowing his eyes at her. She couldn't face him without bursting into laughter. Soon enough, he'd be admitting his liking for chick-flicks.

"And I thought you said you aren't a fan?" Sam added a smile like (Y/n)'s reaching his lips.

Dean shook his head, glancing at the ground. "I'm not," he quickly replied. "I'm _not_!" He turned his eyes to the elevator, widening them at the person coming out. "Oh, boy."

"What?" The twins asked in unison, following his eyes.

"It's him," Dean chuckled nervously, smiling widely. They were all looking at a tan doctor with slicked-back raven-hair. "It's him. It's Dr. Sexy."

While Dean averted his gaze to the floor, (Y/n) stared at 'Dr. Sexy', narrowing her eyes as he stopped in front of them. Poor Sam still looked confused and troubled.

"Doctor," Dr. Sexy nodded toward Dean.

Dean smiled lightly, "Doctor," he replied before turning his gaze back to the floor.

"Doctor," he then nodded to Sam, who stared until Dean kicked him in the shin.

"Doctor." Sam grumbled back, rolling his eyes that he had to reply.

Dr. Sexy finally laid eyes on (Y/n), smiling lightly. "Nurse."

"Doctor," (Y/n) mumbled back, not as politely as she should've.

"You want to give me one good reason why you defied my direct order to do the experimental face transplant of Mrs. Beale?" He asked Dean directly.

Dean chuckled nervously looking to his siblings for any help but received none. "One reason?" Dr. Sexy nodded, waiting for his answer. "Sure," he cleared his throat and looked to the floor, meeting the doctor's shoes. A frown made its way onto his lips before the other doctor was slammed into the wall, Dean's arms across Dr. Sexy's chest to prevent him from moving. (Y/n) sucked in her breath as she watched the exchange. "You're not Dr. Sexy," he growled.

"You're crazy," the doctor replied coolly, looking Dean directly in the eyes.

"Really?" Dean raised his eyebrows. "'Cause I swore part of what makes Dr. Sexy sexy is the fact that he wears cowboy boots- _not_ tennis shoes."

Sam scoffed from behind, his upper lip twitching. "Yeah, you're not a fan."

The elder Winchester looked to the ground, then glanced at Sam. "It's a guilty pleasure." He shot back.

"Call security," Dr. Sexy told the nurses from earlier, who were just walking down the hospital halls.

Dean didn't move, he only smiled. "Yeah, go ahead, pal. See, we know what you are." Just as the security guy approached, everyone but the Winchesters and the doctor froze.

Dr. Sexy tilted his head, a smile reaching his face as Dean frowned in confusion, looking around at all the frozen people. Once he turned around, the doctor morphed into the grinning trickster, Gabriel. "You guys are getting better!"

"Get us the hell out of here," Dean demanded, adjusting his arm.

Gabriel's eyes widened. "Or what?" He grabbed Dean's arm with one hand and brought it down, the Winchester's face morphed into pain at the strength. "Don't see your wooden stakes, big guy." He patted Dean's other arm, smiling as the Winchester held the other in pain.

(Y/n) glared at him with cold eyes. This is what it took to see him, a case. A case against him.

"That was you on the police scanner, right?" Sam interrupted. "This is a trick."

"Hello-o-o," Gabriel drawled, bringing a finger to his face, and circling around it. "Trickster?" He threw his hands up when there was no reply, a grin reaching his lips. "Come on! I heard you three yahoos were in town. How could I resist?"

"Where the hell are we?" (Y/n) asked lowly, a slight growl in her voice. Sam glanced at her with a raised eyebrow at the coldness in her tone.

Gabriel glanced at her for a second, his grin faltering for a millisecond, before coming back. "You like it?" His trickster act reached the surface quickly, not wanting to bring suspicion to the other two men. "It's all homemade." He turned to face the door behind him, tapping his knuckles against it. "My own sets," he then gestured to the frozen people around them. Pivoting on his heel, he faced the Winchesters once more. "My own actors. Call it my own little Idiot Box."

"How do we get out?" The eldest asked, quickly growing impatient.

"That, my friend, is the $64 question," he replied vaguely with a small grin.

Sam sighed, jumping in before any more salty replies came in. "Whatever, we just... we need to talk to you. We need your help."

The grin on Gabriel's face fell as he thought about it. "Hmm... let me guess," he raised three fingers and pointed at the siblings. "You three muttonheads broke the world, and you want me to sweep up your mess?"

"Please," Sam added. "Just five minutes- hear us out."

Gabriel sighed. "Sure. Tell you what-" he looked at Sam and Dean, still avoiding (Y/n)'s gaze. "Survive the next 24 hours, we'll talk!"

"Survive what?" Dean asked.

Gabriel gestured around them. "The game!" He answered as if it was obvious.

"What game?"

"You're in it," he grinned back before his face rested.

Dean glanced at his siblings. "How do we play?"

The trickster looked up at the ceiling, as if thinking over the question when he already knew the answer. "You're playing it."

"What are the rules?" (Y/n) growled out, about ready to slap that stupid grin off his face. There was no guilt surrounding his aura at the moment, maybe it was for the sake of Dean and Sam finding out- but it still pissed her off.

Gabriel's eyebrows danced up and down, then a smug smirk played onto his lips before he disappeared.


	7. Chapter 7

"Oh, son of a bitch," Dean scowled and watched the hospital's inhabitants begin to move again.

The blonde nurse from earlier approaches where they had an encounter with the trickster. "Doctor Sexy?" She repeated the call while leaving the hallway, making the siblings sigh. "Doctor Sexy?"

_"Paging Doctor Sexy. Report to the E.R."_

The Winchesters continued walking down the halls, searching for a way out. "Oh, by the way- talking with monsters? Hell of a plan!" Dean said to his younger siblings sarcastically.

Sam sighed. "What do we do now?" None of them knew the answer to his question.

"You know what I'm doing? Leaving." Dean started to walk faster but moved out of the way when the raven-haired nurse from earlier tried to hit Sam again.

"Lady... what the hell?" Sam was done with the hospital and being slapped for something he didn't do/understand.

The nurse shook her head. "You are a brilliant, brilliant-"

"Yeah, a coward. You already said that" Sam interrupted. He did _not_ want to hear someone spit complimenting insults to him again. "But I got news for you: I am not a doctor."

(Y/n) opened her mouth to speak, wanting to mention the whole ' _We need to play along, meaning you are a doctor_ ' but Dean held a hand over her mouth, he wanted to see where this would lead.

"Don't say that." The nurse breathed. "You are the finest cerebrovascular neurosurgeon I have ever met... and I have met plenty. So that girl died on your table- it wasn't your fault. It wasn't _anybody's_ fault! Sometimes people just die."

Sam raised his eyebrows, slowly lowering his body a bit to face her. "I have no idea what you're saying to me."

"You're afraid," the nurse continued, shaking her head. "You're afraid to operate again, and you're afraid to love." Sam bitch-faced her, what part of ' _I have no idea what you're saying to me_ ' did she not understand?

The other siblings rolled their eyes to the ceiling again as the nurse walked off. "Yeah, we're getting out of here." Sam finally agreed, shaking his head with a sigh.

"Guys..." (Y/n) started again, but was interrupted by a man that looked to be a patient's family member.

"Hey, doctor." Dean internally sighed, but kept it from his face by answering with a 'yes?' "My wife needs that face transplant."

Dean closed his eyes. "Okay, you know what, pal?" He dropped his voice to a whisper. "None of this is real, okay? And your wife doesn't need jack-squat. Okay?"

"Dean!" (Y/n) hissed, smacking her brother's shoulder. He ignored her and continued forward, ignoring the man pulling a gun from his pocket and aiming it at Dean.

"Hey, doctor," the man called again, then shot Dean in the back. When the siblings turned to look at him in shock, the man was already half-way down the hall.

"Real! It's real!" Dean hissed, holding his back as he slowly got down onto his knees, holding onto (Y/n)'s hands.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Sam bent down, looking around in desperation. "Hey! We need a doctor!" He shouted, gaining the entire hospital's attention.

A gurney was rolled over to the siblings, Dean placed on top, then they were taken to the surgery room.

A large disgusted frown was drawn onto Sam's face as he tried to stop the bleeding.

"B.P. is 80 over 50... and dropping," the blonde nurse informed quietly, making everyone turn to Sam. He only nodded slowly in return, still not exactly knowing what to do.

"Doctor?" A brunette held a scalpel out to Sam, who looked at her like she was crazy. He shook his head nervously, making all the nurses in the room stare at him in shock.

Dean looked to his left. "Sam, do something. C'mon!"

The younger Winchester leaned down, dropping his voice to a whisper. "I don't know how to use any of this crap."

"Figure it out!" Dean whispered back. "Sam! Come on, I'm waiting!"

(Y/n) chewed on her nails nervously as her older brother began demanding what they would use during hunts. She hadn't been allowed in, or she would've immediately known what to do with Dean, the things she learned from her time in university would've been put to use in fixing her brother. Perhaps that's why she was a nurse- Gabriel didn't exactly want her to interfere.

"He's so brilliant," the raven-haired nurse from earlier breathed with a large smile, making (Y/n) roll her eyes. _Drama queen._

"We okay? How's it looking?" Dean asked after Sam cut the dental floss.

Sam looked down to where his brother's face would be. "Yep. You'll be fine." He then looked back at the window where his sister and the nurse from earlier stood. (Y/n) smiled and gave him a thumbs up while the nurse mouthed 'I love you' with teary eyes, putting her hand on the glass afterward. Sam only smiled back, not knowing what else to do.

While Dean watched the nurses' feat leave his sight, clanging and clapping echoed through the room. He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head in confusion.


	8. Chapter 8

The siblings had made the 'mistake' of closing their eyes, due to the result being put into some sort of Japanese game show.

Cheers and applause erupted around them as the blue doors Dean had seen in the previous show opened, a man dressed in a snazzy silver suit came out, welcoming everyone in Japanese.

The brothers were placed upon platforms, their feet stuck to the floor by yellow and red shoes. A red button that rested on top of a metal railing curved its way in front of their bodies.

Their sister, however, so nowhere in sight.

"Let's play ' _NUT-CRACKER_ '!" The host shouted with a large grin, making an upper motion with his arm. He took a bow after doing so, enjoying the audience's reaction.

The brothers observed their situation, looking around in shock at a ball that directed itself to their crotches, then to a timer on the other side of the room.

"Sam, where's (Y/n)?" Dean asked in a panic. Their little sister was separated from them, something they had both promised would never happen again. The younger brother's face reached the same panic as Dean's. They both had no clue.

"Sam Winchester..." The host gained both brother's attention as he read something from a yellow card in Japanese. "Countdown!" He pointed to the clock, which began to count down from 20.

Sam looked at the clock then at the host in confusion. "What? Uh... what am I supposed to say?" He asked Dean.

"You think _I_ know?" A thought crossed his head at the thought of knowing, (Y/n) would've been able to translate everything for them if she were in the room, she picked up multiple languages throughout her years of being alive.

"Uh... I-I don't-- I don't understand, uh, Japanese," Sam tried to tell the host, who only repeated the question while pointing at Dean. The Winchester chuckled nervously. "Is he screwing with me?" Dean shrugged again. "I-I-I-I can't speak Japanese-"

The alarm buzzed loudly, making the entire room groan. The host started to answer in Japanese, "Ruby!" which was the only part the brothers understood. "I'm sorry, Sam Winchester." The host crossed his hands together, looking to the ground.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Sam tried, which made the host cover his mouth as if he was giggling. "Dean..."

The ball that the brother's were confused about their purpose quickly shot up, hitting Sam directly in the crotch at full force. Everyone clapped and cheered while the host repeated the game name. Sam groaned in pain, holding his hand over where he had been hit.

"Sam?" Dean asked, who had watched the entire thing with a horrified expression. It didn't happen to him- but dear God it looked painful and made him feel physical pain.

Sam lifted his head. "Yeah?" He asked in a strained voice, the pain wasn't quite gone just yet. A thought crossed his head: He was slightly glad his sister wasn't here to see any of this, for she would've made fun of him forever at the sight of him answering wrong, and the whole 'Nutcracker' part.

While the host and one of the girls discussed something they were selling, banging echoed through the room, turning the cheering and applause into hushed sounds of confusion.

The blue doors opened to reveal a very confused Castiel.

"Is this another trick?" Sam asked, looking at the angel in hope that he wasn't.

Castiel's eyebrows furrowed. "It's me. Uh, what are you doing here?"

"Us? What are _you_ doing here?" Dean shot back.

The angel looked at Dean. "Looking for you. You've been missing for days." He took a quick look around the room, his blue eyes searching for the third Winchester. "Where's (Y/n)?"

Sam shrugged at the thought of his sister, a little more worried about damaging his genitals further. "Haven't seen her since the last show- get us the hell out of here so we can find her!"

The audience groaned as Castiel lifted his hands. "Let's go-" but he disappeared before he could get his chance to let the brothers leave.

"No, no, no, no." The host wiggled his finger back and forth, making his way back to the brothers. "Mr. Trickster does not like pretty-boy angels."

The brothers looked at each other once more, hoping that wherever their sister was, she had it better than they did.

-

Sunlight streamed through pale white curtains, it's brightness reached the far side of the bed, making (Y/n) groan and open her eyes.

 _Wait... bed_? The Winchester shot up from her pillow, ignoring her body's complaints about how comfortable she had been. _What the hell_?

(Y/n) ran her fingers through her hair, looking around for evidence as to where she was. The thought of her motel was immediately thrown out the window, this looked too nice- perhaps a hotel?

"Sam? Dean?" She slid out of the bed, the feeling of being cold hit her like a brick. Looking down as to what she was wearing, her (e/c) eyes popped out of her head.

The clothes looked like something one would see a wife or girlfriend wear to please her significant other: lingerie. It was in the shape of a short-nightgown, but (Y/n) knew better.

"Ugh," she huffed in disgust and began to search for something better to wear. Also known as _anything_.

Having no choice but to settle with workout short-shorts and a low tank top, (Y/n) quickly got rid of the lingerie. Someone would need to pay her if they wanted her to _wear_ it, not even to do anything.

The sweet aroma of waffles and bacon filled her nose, making her stomach rumble lowly. She had eaten breakfast earlier in the day, as well as snacking on some candy, but that was it. Hunger wasn't much of a problem to her, not since she'd last seen her soulmate.

Once she reached the kitchen, however, the thought of breakfast left and was replaced by thousands of mixed feelings. " _Gabriel_..."

The archangel slowly turned around, finishing the piece of bacon in his mouth before replying guiltily: "Hello, (Y/n)."


	9. Chapter 9

"Hello, (Y/n)."

It was at this moment that the Winchester wished that she had an angel-killing blade. "What is this? Drama? Romance? Chick flick? Something you think that'll throw all of my troubles about this bond out of the window?" (Y/n) crossed her arms and tapped her foot against the cold kitchen tile.

Gabriel sighed, dropping his head to the ground. "A mix of drama and romance, mostly drama though." He picked up another piece of bacon, nervously chewing on the bottom. "I'm sor-"

"You don't get to say that. Don't even _finish_ that sentence!" (Y/n)'s voice was already shouting. She was _pissed_. "You're not allowed to say that after you _told me you'd visit me, keep our bond together_. But no-- it's been seven months since we've spoken. I've had to ask Castiel what the hell's been wrong with me- why I've been _sick and depressed_."

The archangel's face morphed into one of slight jealousy, which he had no right to have as well. "You've been around another angel?" He stopped another sentence from leaving when (Y/n) narrowed her eyes, silently saying 'Don't even go there'.

(Y/n) sucked in her breath, shoving a piece of bacon in her mouth before continuing. "We've apparently had this bond for too long- and soon enough I'll get sick and drop into some coma, and you'll start rampaging on the world or something like that. Do you really want that to happen?" He opened his mouth, but his soulmate wasn't done. "Is there a problem with me? I'm human o-or I'm a Winchester, which makes me a vessel?"

Gabriel dropped his hands, rolling his eyes. "You think this is easy for me? I deal with greater pain than you do, (Y/n)!" He sucked in his breath, closing his eyes to try and keep his own anger at bay. "And don't even _pull_ that human card- or the fact that you're a vessel. I could care _less_ about that."

"Then why put yourself through this pain? Why put _me_ through this pain?"

"BECAUSE I'M AFRAID, (Y/N)!" Gabriel shouted, his anger finally taking over. The stove light-bulb broke at his raging tone. "I'M AFRAID OF NOT BEING GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU, AND I'M AFRAID YOU GETTING HURT BECAUSE OF ME!"

(Y/n)'s face quickly softened. She had been angry this whole time, thinking it was the fact that Gabriel didn't want her- but the problem was internal issues, it was his self-esteem. "Gabriel... you... There's..." She paused, trying to put together her thoughts. "You shouldn't be worried about me getting hurt, I'm a hunter, it's who I am and what I have to live through. And... being good enough, you are good enough. Yeah, you've probably made a ton of mistakes- like killing Dean over and over again, but that doesn't make you any less who you are."

She slowly took steps towards him, taking his hands in hers. The hunter had no idea why she wasn't mad anymore, slight hurt and worry replaced all of her negative emotions. Even though part of her said to be angry, she physically couldn't. She felt the need to do so, like overprotectiveness was taking over. "No matter what you do, you are enough... I don't know what you've done over the years, but you are anything but nothing, okay?"

Gabriel bit down hard on his bottom lip, he had let down his walls for once in a millenia. After leaving Heaven, he thought that anyone who would grow on him would think how he did... "So, what now? How do you propose we fix this?" If his soulmate had thoughts like this... he didn't want to leave like this.

(Y/n) sighed. "Well, I think that we should upgrade to the moderate bond... I don't want to keep going like this, it's been three years, Gabe." She thought about how worried Castiel looked, and how worried her brothers would be if she suddenly fainted and fell into a coma.

"How long have you had problems with our bond?"

"Four months..."

The archangel nodded, meeting his soulmate's eyes. "Right... are you okay with everything that comes with the moderate bond? Time limit, physical contact... wings?" The hunter nodded, a small smile forming on her lips. "Okay. Ready?"

(Y/n) didn't allow him to finish, she captured Gabriel's lips with her own. The archangel's hands slowly snaked from (Y/n)'s to her waist, his mind blurring as their lips melded together. There was a buzzing in both their minds, and soon enough, they pulled away when a bright light came from around them. (Y/n) gasped when she faced her soulmate once more.

Coming from the middle of Gabriel's back were six very large wings. The first two wings were very large and a beautiful gold, the next pair smaller than the other, and the last pair were the smallest. Still, they were large-- much larger than (Y/n) thought they would be, because each wing was bigger than Gabriel's entire body.

"They're _beautiful_ ," (Y/n) breathed, reaching to trail her fingers through the feathers. Gabriel, still lost in their bond changing, didn't stop her from touching his wings (which were very sensitive mind you). So when he let out a sigh, mixed along with a moan, the hunter quickly retreated her hand. "Well, that's something to do another time."

Gabriel nodded, face flushed at the fact of him doing that. Clearing his throat, he removed his hands from (Y/n)'s waist. "I should snap you back to your brothers, before they have a meltdown."

"That would be best," (Y/n) chuckled. She pecked his lips one last time and smiled lightly. The aftermath of the bond was making her feel an incredible amount of happiness. "See you soon, angel."

Her soulmate snapped his fingers with an equally nice smile. "Of course, sugar."


	10. Chapter 10

_"We now return to 'Supernatural'_."

"Son of a bitch!" Dean exclaimed while the audience laughed and clapped.

(Y/n) moved past her brother, looking back at him with a glare while she retrieved the woman. "I am really, _really_ , very sorry. But also not sorry," she added the last bit, quiet enough that only the audience would laugh at it- which they did. "But we have work to do."

The woman frowned at (Y/n). "But we _did work_ ," she protested, then turned to Dean with a smile. "In depth." The eldest Winchester smirked, watching the woman's backside as she left, making the audience cheer and shout.

"How long do we have to keep doing this?" Dean asked his siblings through his teeth, a strained smile on his face.

Sam looked back at the audience. "I don't know." (Y/n) eyed the door, then shrugged, not knowing either. "Maybe forever?" The audience laughed at his hesitation. "We might die here."

As the audience laughed, Dean turned to them and glared. "How is that funny? Vultures."

The door to the 'motel' suddenly opened, a beat-up Castiel making an entrance. More cheers and applause erupted around them.

"You okay?" The siblings asked in unison.

Castiel shook his head, dismissing that. "I don't have much time."

"What happened?" Sam interrupted.

The angel sighed. "I got out." The audience ' _oo'ed_ ' in interest.

"From where?" Dean pried, but the angel held up a hand, dismissing the subject once more. He had a more important thing to say.

"Listen to me. Something is not right. This thing is more powerful than it should be."

The eldest raised an eyebrow. "What thing-- the trickster?"

"If it is a trickster," Castiel replied back quickly, eyeing (Y/n) who looked like a deer facing headlights. That answered his counter, and even who her soulmate was.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked further.

But before the angel could reply, he was thrown up against the wall, the audience gasped as he grunted and hit the floor.

"Hello!" The trickster hopped in the room, making the siblings frown in shock. "Thank you!" He held up a hand as the audience cheered. Castiel lifted his head, his eyes widening at the sight of him, but the duct tape over his mouth prevented him from speaking. "Please, stop." He told the audience, which sort of came out in the voice of ' _Oh stop it, but keep going_.' Castiel stood up and narrowed his eyes. "Hi, Castiel!" Gabriel greeted with a smile. The other angel looked at the siblings with wide eyes, right before Gabriel sent him away with a frown and a flick of his wrist.

"You know him?" Sam asked, looking back at the 'trickster'.

"Where did you just send him?" Dean demanded at the same time as Sam's question.

Gabriel smiled lightly. "Relax. He'll live," he paused and lifted his heels a few times. "Mmmaybe." Which earned more laughter from the audience.

The eldest Winchester, done with the entire situation, stormed over to the front. "You know what? I'm done with the monkey dance, okay? We get it."

The 'trickster' tilted his head. "Yeah? Get what, hotshot?"

"Playing our roles, right? That's your game?"

Gabriel nodded. "That's _half_ the game."

"What's the other half?" Sam asked for them.

Gabriel pointed with his hands to the audience. "Play your roles out there."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean snapped.

The 'trickster' frowned at the fact of them not getting it yet. "You know-" he gestured to Sam, using an action movie's narrator's voice. "Sam, starring as Lucifer," then gestured to Dean, "Dean, starring as Michael. Your celebrity deathmatch! Play your roles!"

"You want us to say 'yes' to those sons of bitches?" Sam asked, shocked that someone like the 'trickster' would mention something like that. He's a pagan god, shouldn't he be _not_ wanting this to happen?

Gabriel nodded. "Hells yeah. Let's light this candle!"

(Y/n) crossed her arms, not understanding his point on the matter quite yet. That hasn't come into a discussion for them. "If they do that, the world will end!" Sam butted in before she could ask.

"Yeah? And whose fault is that? Who popped Lucifer out of the box, hm?" He shot an eyebrow in the air at Sam before facing Dean again. "Look, it's started- you started it. It can't be stopped. So, let's get it over with!"

_Oh._

"Heaven or Hell, which side you on?" Dean asked with narrowed eyes.

Gabriel shook his head. "I'm not on either side."

The eldest Winchester smiled. "You're grabbing ankle for Michael or Lucifer- which one is it?"

The 'trickster' let out a breathy scoff and stepped closer to Dean. "You listen to me, you arrogant dick. I don't work for any of those S.O.B.s, believe me." He whispered the last bit, his lips curled down into a frown.

"Hmm..." Dean shook his head. "Oh, you're somebody's bitch."

Gabriel grabbed Dean's jacket collar and threw him up against the motel's door. "Don't you ever, _ever_ presume to know what I am." He hissed back, letting go of one side to use his hand. "Now, listen very closely. Here's what's gonna happen," he pointed at the male Winchesters. "You're gonna suck it up, accept your responsibilities, and play the roles that destiny has chosen for you."

(Y/n) rubbed a hand on her collarbone, feeling an uncomfortable amount of anger that wasn't her own.

"And if we don't?" Sam asked, keeping anger of his own at bay.

The 'trickster' gave Sam a sick grin. "Then you'll stay here in TV Land... forever." He paused to think for a moment, shrugging. "300 channels and, uh, nothing's on." Then he snapped his fingers, the motel scene faded around them. 


	11. Chapter 11

Sam and Dean were no longer in a sitcom, but more of what looked to be a cop show. (Y/n) was also, again, no longer with the brothers.

"Oh, come on," Dean whined, turning away at the sight of whatever sat beyond the caution tape.

A cop approached the two. "What do you think?"

"What do I think? I think go screw yourself, that's what I think," Dean shot coldly, making the cop frown.

Sam smiled politely at the cop in an apology. "Uh, would you give us a moment, please? Thanks." The cop nodded slowly and crouched back under the police tape, walking back to the crime scene. "You have to calm down, Dean."

"' _Calm down_ '?" Dean repeated. "I am wearing sunglasses at night!" He snapped back, removing them from his face. "You know who does that? No-talent douche bags! I _hate_ this game. I hate that we're in a procedural cop show. And you want to know why? Because I _hate_ procedural cop shows! There's like 300 of them on television, they're all the freakin' same! It's 'Ooh, a plane crashed.' Oh, _shut up_!"

Sam smacked his shoulder. "Hey," Dean grumbled a 'what' as the younger Winchester pointed at the cop who had walked over to them. He had a red sucker in his hand. "Check out sweet tooth over there."

"Think that's him?" Dean asked, suddenly done with his hatred over their situation.

"Just, uh, follow my lead." Together, they put on their sunglasses while two cops lifted the police tape to let them through.

The cop from before removed the sucker from his mouth. "You, uh, you okay?" He asked Dean then put it back in.

"Yeah," Dean replied gravelly, looking away from the body. "What do we got?"

"Well," the cop once again removed the sucker from his mouth then crouched down to the body. "Aside from the ligature marks around his neck, he has what appears to be a roll of quarters jammed down his throat." Dean crouched down as well to examine the body, having dramatically taken his sunglasses off before doing so.

Sam lifted his sunglasses from his face slowly. "Well, I say... jackpot." He answered gravely, making the cop chuckle a little. He then put his sunglasses back on.

"Also, there was a stab wound to the lower abdomen there," the cop gestured to the wound with his sucker.

Dean picked up a sharpened stick and lifted the bloodied part of the shirt. "Well, I say..." he put his sunglasses on again. "No guts... no glory..." The cop chuckled again.

"Get that guy a..." Sam took off his sunglasses again, before putting them right back on. "Tums."

"Gutter ball," Dean added, distracting the cop as he chuckled.

"That's a good one guys-" he turned around but gasped when Dean shoved the sharp end of the stick from before through his heart.

A man laughed lightly behind them while the brothers waited for the illusion to fade. The trickster's face emerged from another cop's. "You got the wrong guy, idiot!"

"Did we?" Dean asked as Sam jabbed a sharp stick of wood through the real trickster's heart.

The scene around them faded into the warehouse. They were back with their normal clothes, and the trickster was dead on the floor.

"We should've asked him about (Y/n), Dean." Sam breathed, looking down at the corpse. "She's not here."

Dean sighed with a nod, that would've been helpful. "Maybe he let her go and she's back at the motel?" The younger brother nodded, that was currently their best guess.

-

Dean spat out the remains of his toothpaste into the sink. "I'm worried, man." He looked up at the mirror. "About what that S.O.B. did to Cas and (Y/n)- and where they are..." He left the bathroom and looked around the motel room. "Sam? Where are you?"

Once finished in the motel, Dean tried his brother's cell while walking to the car. " _It's Sam. Leave a message_."

"Sam, it's me. Where the hell did you go?" He slid into the driver's seat of Baby with a grunt then ended the call.

" _Dean_?" Sam's voice echoed through the impala, sounding exactly like his voicemail's tone.

Dean turned around, looking for the source of his brother's voice. "Sam? Where are you?"

" _I don't know_ ," he replied honestly. That made Dean look down at his console, where the entire radio set would be, multiple buttons, and a screen was seen. " _Oh crap. I don't think we killed the trickster_."

-

When (Y/n) opened her eyes, she was more than shocked to see herself in her motel room. A feeling in the bottom of her gut told her that this wasn't one of Gabriel's illusions. No, those were too obvious to her either way.

A note caught her eye, however. On the nightstand, a bright yellow notepad with messy writing stood out. _This isn't part of the game, you're back in the real world. I apologize for earlier, your brothers will probably be out soon. ~Gabe_

"Son of a bitch," (Y/n) groaned and threw the covers off her body. She was hitching a ride back to the warehouse before her brothers would do something stupid.


	12. Chapter 12

To say Dean was upset about the fact that he's basically in 'Knight Rider' was an extreme understatement. It was also that the trickster wasn't dead, as well as (Y/n) was still missing. "Okay, stake didn't work. So, what? This another trick?"

" _I don't know_ ," Sam replied. " _Maybe the stake didn't work because it's not a trickster._ "

Dean frowned and stared down at the console. "What do you mean?"

" _I mean, you heard Cas. He said this thing was too powerful to be a trickster._ "

"Yeah, and did you notice the way he looked at Cas? Almost like he knew him," Dead added slowly.

" _And how pissed he got when you brought up Michael and Lucifer_."

Dean's grip on the wheel tightened as the answer to the trickster's true identity came to mind. "Son of a bitch."

" _What_?"

"I think I know what we're dealing with."

-

After a short bit of driving, the brothers arrived at _Centennial Point Wilderness Area_. The apparent point they needed to be at in 'the show'.

Dean was rummaging through the back of Baby, or right now, Sam, to put everything away. They had a whole plan in action already.

" _Dean_?"

"What?"

" _That, um... feels really uncomfortable_." Dean rolled his eyes at the comment and slammed the trunk back. " _Ow._ " 'Sam' sighed. " _You sure this is gonna work_?"

Dean shrugged as he walked in front of 'Sam'. "No, but I have no other ideas." He stopped and threw his hands in the air, looking at the sky. "All right, you son of a bitch! Uncle!" He paused, looking through other phrases that would bring the 'trickster' to them. "We'll do it!"

" _Should I honk_?" Sam finally said, but there was no need.

"Wow." The 'trickster' approached 'Sam', looking the car up and down. "Sam, get a load of the rims on you."

" _Eat me_."

The trickster whistled then walked in front of Dean, keeping a little distance. "Okay, boys. Ready to go quietly?"

Dean held out a hand. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not so fast," he gestured to 'Sam'. "Nobody's going anywhere until Sam has opposable thumbs."

The trickster frowned. "What's the difference? Satan's gonna ride his ass one way or another." Dean glared, to which the trickster snapped his fingers with an eye roll and scoff. The impala's engine shut down, followed by Sam stepping out of the passenger's seat with quite the irritated expression on his face. "Happy?"

"Tell me one thing, why didn't the stake kill you?" Dean asked, gesturing to where the stake had been.

The trickster hesitated. "I _am_ the trickster," he finally replied with a light smile.

"But maybe you're not," Dean countered as Sam tossed a lighter to the ground. Flames erupted in a circle around the trickster. "Maybe you've always been an angel."

The 'trickster' laughed nervously while looking between the brothers. "A what?! Somebody slip a mickey in your power shake, kid?"

Dean nodded to the ring of fire with a fake smile. "I'll tell you what, you just jump out of the holy fire, and we'll call it our mistake."

Chuckling lightly, the 'trickster' looked around them, then frowned with a heavy sigh. The wilderness area faded around them, the scene turning back to the warehouse. "Well played, boys. Well played." He complimented while clapping. "Where'd you get the holy oil?"

"Oh, you might say we pulled it out of Sam's ass," Dean held back a grin while saying so, Sam shot his older brother the bitch-face.

"Where'd I screw up?"

"You didn't," Sam countered. "But nobody gets the jump on Cas like you did."

"Mostly, it was the way you talked about Armageddon," Dean added.

The unknown angel raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

Dean looked at Sam. "Well, call it personal experience. Nobody gets that angry unless they're talking about their own family." The angel looked away, staring at the ground.

"So, which are you? Grumpy, Sneezy, or Douchey?" Sam asked, watching the angel.

"Gabriel, okay?" He finally answered with a small smile. "They call me Gabriel."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Gabriel? The archangel?"

"Guilty." There was a fake smile on his lips.

Suddenly, the warehouse's front door slammed open. A very tired (Y/n) emerged into sight. Her (e/c) eyes widened at the sight in front of her. _Holy fire... Sam and Dean..._ She also couldn't help but look at her soulmate's wings, which were raised to the sky- in order to not touch the fire."What's...?"

"He was never a trickster, (Y/n)," Sam answered for her, glaring at the archangel. "He's the archangel, Gabriel. That's what Cas meant earlier."

(Y/n) sucked in her breath and walked toward the scene. "Never would've thought that to be the case," she replied slowly. Her eyes met Gabriel's, who looked troubled. A random hit of annoyance hit her chest too.

"Okay, Gabriel. How does an archangel become a trickster?" Dean interrupted anything from moving forward.

Gabriel sighed. "My own private witness protection." Dean tilted his head, not fully grasping it. "I skipped out of Heaven, had a face transplant, carved out my own little corner of the world..." he made a sphere out of his hands then pointed at the three with a hard expression. "Till you three screwed it all up!"

"And what did Daddy say when you ran off and joined the pagans?" Dean pushed.

Gabriel frowned further at the mention of God. "Daddy doesn't say anything about anything."

Sam did his version of frowning. "Then what happened? Why'd you ditch?" (Y/n) raised an eyebrow at that one, she didn't even know that one.

"Well, do you blame him?" Dean interrupted. "I mean, his brothers are heavyweight douche-nozzles."

"Dean!" (Y/n) hissed, kicking his shin. Something in her switched on at his comment, protection or anger- or a mix of the two.

Gabriel's anger grew. "Shut your cakehole." He glared at the brothers, more of Dean than Sam. "You don't know _anything_ about my family. I loved my father, my brothers-- loved them! But watching them turn on each other?" His voice grew to a shout. "Tear at each other's throats? I couldn't bear it, okay?! So I left!" A shaky laugh escaped his body. "And now it's happening _all_ over again."

"Then help us stop it!" Sam tried, only to be shot right back down.

"It can't be stopped," the archangel replied bitterly.

Dean sucked in his breath. "You want to see the end of the world?"

"I want it to be over!" Gabriel shouted back. "I have to sit back and watch my brothers kill each other, thanks to you two!" His attention was moved toward Sam and Dean, who were the main attractions. "Heaven, Hell-- I don't care who wins! I just want it to be over!" (Y/n) rubbed her collarbone again, feeling an immense amount of emotional pain from him.

"Well, it doesn't have to be like that," Sam tried again, gaining the archangel's attention once more. "There has to be some way to- to pull the plug."

Gabriel laughed, looking at the ceiling. "Oh, you do _not_ know my family! What _you_ guys call the apocalypse, _I_ used to call Sunday Dinner! That's why there's no stopping this- because this isn'tabout a _war._ It's about two brothers who _loved_ each other and _betrayed_ each other. You think you'd be able to relate."

The siblings eyed one another, Sam and Dean at each other. "What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

Gabriel looked between Sam and Dean, then clicked his tongue. He rolled his eyes from the ceiling to the floor while whistling. "You sorry sons of bitches. Why do you think you two are the vessels? Think about it!" He looked to Dean. "Michael-- the big brother, loyal to an absent father." He then turned to Sam. "And Lucifer-- the little brother, rebellious of daddy's plan. You were born to this, boys."

Neither of the brothers could face him at that. "It's your destiny! It was always you!" He lifted his hands to the air, lowering them while he spoke. "As it is in Heaven... so it must be on Earth. One brother has to kill the other."

"What the hell are you saying?" Dean growled, done with this talk to destiny and Heaven's plan.

Gabriel slowly calmed, looking between the three. "Why do you think I've always taken such an interest in you? Because from the moment Dad flipped on the lights around here, we knew it was all gonna end with you." He took a glance at his soulmate, who was having a lot of trouble with her emotions and his emotions. "Always."

The eldest Winchester closed his eyes and looked at his sister, she was always in the middle of this. Though it all ended with Sam and Dean, they knew that she was also capable of being either angel's vessel- as she was also Mary and John's child. "No," he finally said. "That's not gonna happen."

The archangel shook his head, an apologetic look shining in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but it is." He inwardly sighed, he didn't want it to happen either. "Guys, I wish this were a TV show. Easy answers, endings wrapped up in a bow. But this is real. And it's gonna end bloody for all of us." He met (Y/n)'s eyes again, silently apologizing to her once more. "That's just how it's got to be."


	13. Chapter 13

Silence engulfed the warehouse. Everything had turned into a stare-down between Gabriel and the two male Winchesters. (Y/n) was too busy trying to figure out her emotions being mixed with the archangel's... it wasn't exactly comfortable.

"So, guys... now what?" Gabriel cut through, bringing sarcasm out. "Stare at each other for the rest of eternity?"

Dean's face scrunched up. "Well, first, you're gonna bring Cas back from wherever you stashed him."

The archangel raised an eyebrow. "Oh, am I?"

"Yeah," Dean replied, narrowing his eyes. "Or we're going to dunk you in some holy oil and deep-fry ourselves an archangel."

(Y/n) made a strangled sound in the back of her throat, grabbing Sam's attention. She moved her hand up to scratch it, showing that it was allergies or something that itched in the back.

Gabriel's upper lip twitched in annoyance as he brought his hand up, snapping his fingers.

Everyone turned to see an even-more beat-up Castiel panting heavily.

"Cas, you okay?" Dean asked in concern, looking at the angel's bloodied face.

"I'm fine," Castiel replied flatly, facing his brother. "Hello, Gabriel."

Gabriel smiled. "Hey, bro. How's the search for Daddy going?" His smile fell as he thought of it. "Let me guess- awful." He made a few faces when his younger brother didn't respond.

"Okay, we're out of here." Dean tapped his sister's shoulder and moved his hand to her back, forcing her forward. "Come on, Sam."

The archangel watched them leave, a bit confused. "Um... okay... Hey, guys-" No one turned around, though (Y/n) did try to. "So-- So, what? Huh? You're just gonna-- you're gonna leave me here forever?" He gestured at the holy fire.

Dean turned around. "No. We're not- 'Cause we don't screw with people the way you do. And for the record..." he took steps toward the archangel, but stayed in front of the door. "This isn't about some prizefight between your brothers or some destiny that can't be stopped. This is about _you_ being _too_ _afraid_ to stand up to your family!" After making his point, Dean smashed the glass that protected the fire alarm, then pulled it. Gabriel looked up at the water as it began to pour on him. "Don't say I never did anything for you."

(Y/n) moved from Dean, pretending to go talk to Castiel who was staring at the archangel. But she was just there to watch her soulmate for a moment, though she knew she had an idea they would see each other soon.

"Come on, (Y/n), no need to raise your brothers' suspicion," Castiel finally said after finishing his glaring contest with his brother.

-

"All that stuff he was spouting in there, you think he was telling the truth?" Dean asked aloud, pulling the keys out to Baby.

"I think _he_ believes it," Sam replied honestly.

Dean threw his hands in the air. "So, what do we do?" Sam shrugged. "I'll tell you one thing-- Right about now, I wish I was back on a TV show."

"Yeah, me too," Sam replied. He turned around to his twin, who was hanging around Castiel with a troubled expression. "(Y/n)? You coming?"

The youngest Winchester shook her head. "I have a couple of questions about this, and I think only Cas can answer them." The angel nodded slowly, it was true. "I'll be back at the motel soon."

Sam and Dean eyed one another then slid into the car. There was lots of information missing in her words, and both men knew that.

-

Castiel flew himself and the hunter to the nearest bar. She mumbled something about needing a drink before they discussed anything further. The first thing the hunter did was apologize, after what Gabriel pulled on the angel, they were seeing each other again.

"Thanks for bringing me here, Cas," (Y/n) said to the angel after they slid into an empty booth.

The angel nodded, shifting in his seat. "I want to be here for this, there are a few things that need to be discussed together." (Y/n) knew he was referring to her brothers finding out about the bond.

Gabriel entered the bar a few minutes later. He waltzed over to the table and slid into the booth spot next to his soulmate. When the hunter gave him a look and gestured to his back, he smiled a bit. "My wings aren't out all the time, sugar. That'd be mighty awkward for you." He met his brother's eyes and nodded. "Castiel."

A waitress approached the table before the needed conversation was brought up. Castiel asked for water, Gabriel asked for a Shirley Temple, and (Y/n) asked for a margarita on the rocks, half salt around the glass. After leaving, (Y/n) started the conversation.

"This is partially about something extra with our bond, and telling my brothers." The archangel sighed, knowing this would be coming sooner or later. "I was feeling anger and certain emotions that you might have been feeling..."

Gabriel drummed his fingers against the table, nodding. "Forgot to mention that. Our emotions are linked together, you feel a certain way, I'll feel that way and vise versa." He paused when the drinks arrived, and he took a long drink of his. "And we can hear each other's thoughts as well... so... that's probably better than calling or praying- which you shouldn't do anyway."

Castiel cleared his throat. "We should get to the point of your brothers. No doubt they're probably questioning why we're not back yet."

"I want to tell them." (Y/n) cut in, staring down at her drink. "I mean... I've been lying to them about how I've been feeling for three years..."

The other two angels nodded in agreement, though Gabriel's was more hesitant and nervous. There was also an edge to her tone, to which her soulmate zoomed through her thoughts. "You're afraid of their reaction." (Y/n) took a slow sip of her drink, looking away guiltily. "They wouldn't leave you like that. Your brothers may occasionally be dicks, but I don't think they'd tell you to leave."

Castiel tapped his finger in front of the hunter, gaining her attention. "If you're going to tell them, I'll be by your side just in case things get out of hand. And I would wait for Gabriel to come in as well, get it through their heads before calling him to the motel."

The plan was set. (Y/n) and Castiel would return to the motel, and the hunter's secret would slip out.


	14. Chapter 14

The drive back to the motel was silent, only Baby's engine provided noise. No radio, no humming, and no talking. Both Winchesters had thoughts going through their minds and were not yet ready to present them.

Dean's mind was stuck on Castiel and (Y/n). He had seen the looks they had given each other since he arrived, and it bothered him like a bitch. The ultimate thought in his head suggested that they were seeing each other, which wasn't much of theory.

Sam's mind, however, was on a completely different road. Since Crawford Hall, when they first met Gabriel, he's tried looking into the so-called 'connection' his sister had with the archangel. The way she acted around him started making the smallest bit of sense: they had something going on, something only an angel and a human could have. Figuring out Gabriel wasn't a trickster helped his theory a lot.

The younger Winchester, of course, would talk to Dean about his theory before even mentioning it to (Y/n). With anything that was going on with her, the older siblings discussed it first before poking around it to their younger sister.

"I have to talk to you," they said in unison to one another. Baby was parked out front, and the motel room was empty. Now was the time to say something. Dean gestured for Sam to finish first.

"It's... it's about (Y/n)." Sam was hesitant with his words, but Dean's face told him everything. "You're going to say something about her too, aren't you?" The eldest nodded. "Well... I'll go first-- since you basically told me to do so.

"Remember the 'connection' I told you that I think she still has with him?" Dean nodded again, this time narrowing his eyes. "I think my theory's correct. The way she acts around him, trickster or not, it's like she's known him for years-- or she's trying to defend him."

Dean held up a hand, wanting to say things of his own. "I was going to mention something about her and Cas... but yours sounds a lot more realistic than mine." He walked over to her bed when he noticed a bright yellow note on the mattress. "' _This isn't part of the game, you're back in the real world. I apologize for earlier, your brothers will probably be out soon._ ' What the... ' _Gabe_ '?"

Sam took the note from his hands, tilting his head while he read it over again. "When we were in that cop show... (Y/n) wasn't there... she was here." His eyes widened as two-and-two were put together. "(Y/n)... she's known about him being an archangel all along."

"How long do you think?" Dean asked, trying to keep his cool, though the anger from his voice was see-through.

The younger Winchester thought back to the cases they were in that involved the archangel-- though it's only two so far. "Mystery Spot... maybe? I remember the look on her face when she mentioned 'just desserts' before I could. And the anger on her face when we ganked Gabriel-"

Dean rubbed his temples and sighed angrily, burning a hole into the yellow paper with his glare. "She has some explaining to do when they get back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Book Four: Hammer Of The Gods is now on my profile!


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